Unintended
by borntodance
Summary: Rachel Tyler moves from England to California, to escape. Her life is one she wants to forget but will she fall back into temptation? Sometimes it takes someone unintended to make you see what you've been missing all along. Including Zac Efron.
1. Authors Note

Hey, since I've hit a bit of a block with "Written in the Stars" I've decided to share another story I've been working on. The idea's been floating around for a while.

Just to mention, I know it's the same character name as my other story but that was purely because when I first started writing, it was only idea's rather than a solid story than before I knew it, I'd written 8,000 words and couldn't be bothered going back and reworking the name so bear with me!

The character of Rachel in this story is completely different to the one in Written in the Stars so don't make any comparisons!

Also reviews are always appreciated guys, they make me smile and want to write more so please keep them coming!! Thank you so here it is:

"Unintended" based on the song by Muse. It's a beautiful song and everyone should really listen to it. It sums up the whole feeling of the story in 3mins.

Thanks.


	2. Lyrics

Unintended

"You could be my unintended,

Choice to live my life extended.

You could be the one I'll always love.

You could be the one who listens

To my deepest inquisitions.

You could be the one I'll always love."

_"__I'll be there as soon as I can _

_But I'm busy mending broken pieces_

_Of the life I had before.__"_

"First there was the one who challenged all my dreams and all my balance.

She could never be as good as you.

You could be my unintended

Choice to live my life extended.

You should be the one I'll always love."

_"__I'll be there as soon as I can _

_But I'm busy mending broken pieces_

_Of the life I had before.__"_

_"__Before you.__"_


	3. Prologue

_The fire in front of her swirled and swarmed, making intricate patterns as it came into contact with the air. She watched with a satisfied look on her face. She felt the heat of the fire threatening to engulf her skin, yet she did not move away. She made no movement whatsoever; she could've been mistaken for a statue. It wasn't the fire she was fascinated with (although it had its appeal) – it was what it was burning and what that signified. For her entire life, she was made to do what everyone else wanted her to do. Now, finally, she felt free. The clothes had already disintegrated, leaving nothing but a pile of ash. The books were still burning, the flames engulfing them as though a hungry child, always needing more. She reached into the bag in her hand and pulled out more belongings throwing them casually on the fire too. The fire light seemed to highlight the features on her face, showing the ghost of a smile. She let the final object fall into the fire and took a step backward. She allowed herself one last look and then turned away from the fire._


	4. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

"Ladies and Gentlemen, flight 615 from London Heathrow Airport has now landed and will be arriving at Gate 11." The bodiless voice called out over the waiting area of Gates 10 – 15 of Los Angeles International Airport. Several people looking up in rapt attention, a few got off the plastic waiting seats and walked round the terminal to stretch their legs, another few moved closer to the gate, eager to greet those loved ones coming off the plane. Each individual or group was so involved in their own personal goings on and waiting for a particular person to come off a plane that no-one really seemed to notice one another.

Therefore no-one noticed the tall, sandy-brown haired boy stood slightly to one side talking on his phone. One hand was holding the phone, the other idly playing with the pocket of his jeans. He was gazing down at his feet, their appearance dimmed remarkably by his aviator sunglasses but he didn't want to take them off. He was probably one of the only people who didn't seem at all interested about the people about to come off the planes. Instead he seemed more focused on the conversation going on through his ear piece.

"I really don't know. I'm kind of busy at the moment. No, it was mom; she wanted me to do it. I can't wait when Dylan can drive then he can do this stuff," the boy scuffed one of his shoes against the other and briefly looked up with an almost guilty look on his face. "No. Yeah, it's not been easy but I've got people round me so…yeah, I'll be ok. I'm going to be back--"

He was interrupted as the people from flight 615 began to stream through the gate. Many finding the ones they were meant to quickly and embracing them as a form of greeting. There were young children, college students arriving to start the new semester in a few weeks, adults and older people. A small group of young children passed very close to the boy and he subtly turned away from them. It was the last thing he needed right now. He pushed his beanie further down on his head and pulled down on one corner of his t-shirt. He looked up briefly to see if he could see the girl. No sign yet. He resumed his conversation.

"It's just letting out now. I don't even have a clue, mom just gave me some really vague details when I was half-asleep over the phone and I'm supposed to know who I'm looking for. I've never seen her! She's my mom's friend's daughter, not my friend," he laughed softly at the next remark, "I am not going to stand with a plaque. It's difficult enough being here; airports aren't exactly my favourite for lying low." He looked up again to see people still streaming out of the gate but with less urgency than the ones before them. "Her name's Rachel Tyler so I guess that's something for me to go on. I really don't want to be stuck looking after some 13 year old kid for the next month or so. Thank god you guys are back! Ok, yeah sure I'll--"

He was interrupted once again but this time by a female voice, "Excuse me are you Zac?"

The boy, Zac, sighed. He'd got this far into the day without so far being recognised which had been pretty impressive as he'd been stood at the terminal for an hour and a half. It was a little longer than he generally cared to linger in airports these days, or any days for that matter. He readied himself and turned around.

She stepped out of the boarding passage into the waiting area of Gate 11. She looked around the terminal at the throngs of people, peering through gaps to try and find the person she was looking for. Her mother had been very vague on who exactly was going to be meeting her. She hitched her shoulder bag slightly higher on her shoulder and decided to move forward as she was starting to block the way of people behind her. She walked forward, pushing herself through to groups of people. She paused briefly whilst deciding what to do. It probably wasn't best to go to the main airport, I'd be impossible to find anyone there. No, the best thing was to circle once maybe and then decide.

She'd almost completed her full circuit of the waiting terminal when she heard a voice, ""Her name's Rachel Tyler so I guess that's something for me to go on…" Tyler? How many of those could there be? This had to be the person she was looking for. Then she heard the next part of the conversation, "I really don't want to be stuck looking after some 13 year old kid for the next month or so…" 13 year old kid? _Kid?_ She'd barely been here for half and hour and she was already starting to dislike this place. Kid; she wasn't a fucking goat.

She followed the direction of the voice and found herself facing the back of a tall boy whose brown-ish hair was unsuccessfully trying to hide under the guise of a beanie. She cleared her voice, "Excuse me are you Zac?" The boy sighed audibly – and they thought she had an attitude problem – and turned round. Then stopped. "Yeah, yeah I am," He looked slightly confused.

Zac looked at the girl in front of him. She was eyeing him with the same suspicion that one might if someone handed you a load of free money and told you to go on a shopping spree. She made him feel slightly nervous, self conscious almost, a rare occurrence for him these days. She certainly didn't look like she was a fan, that's for sure. "I'm Rachel, Rachel Tyler," She hitched her shoulder bag up a little more then looked around as a pause followed this statement.

"Oh. You…you're…ok. Hi," he smiled, "I'm Zac,"

"Yes, you already said that when I asked you if that's who you were." Ouch, this girl was harsh. He blanched a little as she addressed him so carelessly. She was looking around the terminal again, purposefully avoiding his gaze.

"Are you looking for someone?" Zac asked.

"No," the answer was short and clipped until she said, "I live in England. All my relatives and friends are across the other side of the world. Who could I possibly be looking for here?" She turned to look at him, an ice-cold glare that cut right through his defences. Jeez, this girl was going to be hard work.

"Want to go to baggage claim?" he asked, putting his phone away in his pocket and running a hand over his beanie hat. She nodded as if this was an idiot's question and waited for him to lead the way. As they walked, Rachel walked next to him but slightly behind. Zac in turn made a great show of looking anywhere but in her direction. Once they got to baggage claim, Zac let Rachel go forward to look for her bags whilst he hung behind her, leaning on a pillar erected in the middle of the airport.

He watched her whilst she waited, subconsciously taking in her looks. She had sleek jet black hair which fell to her waist like a waterfall. Her skin was as pale and clear as a porcelain dolls but her eyes were a piercing blue offsetting her skin. She was slim but with curves in the right places. Rachel had already noticed Zac, with his brown hair, bright blue eyes, his tanned Californian skin and well-built physique. If he'd been back home, she probably would've tried something but as it were, she was not home.

Rachel bags came through the flaps soon enough. She shifted one off the conveyer belt. She tried to grasp the other one but over balanced due to the weight of it and almost fell. Zac, noticing, went forward to help her. He took the bag from her, "I'll take this once, I think," A ghost of a smile lit her features and he smiled back. They got a trolley and wheeled it to the parking lot of the airport where Zac's car was. They loaded the suitcases into the trunk of his car, "Jeez, what did you bring?" he asked jokingly.

"Oh you know, "Rachel replied nonchalantly, "clothes, shoes, bags, the kitchen sink," she flashed him a quick but lethal smile. It reminded him uncomfortably of the sort of the smile a predator flashes its victim before they ripped the other to pieces. "Oh and by the way," he turned at the sound of her voice, "you might have guessed, but I'm not 13 years old."

He sighed, thinking that at this moment, he probably would've preferred the 13 year old.


	5. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Rachel stared out of the window of the car, looking at the landscape speeding by. There were no rolling green fields or animals grazing here; instead palm trees swayed in a seemingly non-existent breeze, cars sped past with the speed of lightening, and the sky was a murky grey colour –"smog" as Zac had phrased it, due to the pollution LA produced. The car was heading down the freeway. She wasn't staying in Los Angeles but with Zac's parents who lived in a small town north of Los Angeles called Arroyo Grande in San Luis Obispo. Apparently, it was just what she needed; who the hell anyone else was to decide this she didn't know, but that was mothers for you.

The two had been silent for most of the journey. What did they even have in common? Rachel thought and she wasn't particularly in the mood to make small talk. Her flight had been a lovely 12 hours in which she'd had no sleep so to her it felt like 8am when in reality it was only 5pm east time. She felt her eyes drift close for a moment but then was brought back to earth when Zac's voice sounded. "So…uh…you hear for vacation or…?" Obviously he felt the need for small talk. She sighed inwardly.

"No, not vacation."

"Oh. Then what? College?" inquired Zac.

"No, not college."

He looked at her briefly expecting an answer. She sighed audibly this time then said, "Let's just say mum thought it best I take some "down time", as you lot say," she turned back to staring out of the window.

Zac frowned slightly, "Down time? From what?"

Rachel interrupted him, "When are we going to be there? I thought it wasn't far."

This time it was Zac who sighed, "I didn't say that. I don't know who did. It's about three hours away and we've got about another hour and a half to go yet," Unfortunately, he added silently.

Rachel nodded taking in the information. She looked at Zac, then looked away, then looked back. "So, what do you do? You at university?"

Zac looked at her to see if she was kidding but the look on her face said she was anything but. Obviously it hadn't been mentioned by her mom, or his mom or whoever. "Actually no, I'm…" he hesitated, somehow he thought what he did wasn't going to go down too well with her, "I'm…" he started again, "I'm an actor. I deferred college for a year to see how the acting went."

Rachel raised an eyebrow, "An actor? Figures, isn't that what everyone in LA is? So will I have seen you in anything?"

"Um, Hairspray and uh…High School Musical?" he queried. She shook her head, "Doesn't matter. It'll probably be easier not knowing me." He wasn't surprised; most kids his age didn't have a clue what High School Musical was. Let's face it; it wasn't exactly credible, hardcore stuff you showed to your friends. "What about you?" He asked.

Rachel played with a loosed thread on her cardigan for a while before she answered softly, "I was at university."

"Cool what were you studying?" asked Zac, completely missing the change that had occurred in Rachel. Her whole posture had softened, she was looking down at her hands and didn't seem to want to make eye contact, and her voice had almost disappeared.

"Um…" she had to think; what had she been doing? Oh that's it, "Psychology," she answered. Ironic, really, she thought. "Yeah, psychology," she repeated softly.

Zac suddenly noticed the change that had taken place. "Hey," he spoke quietly, "are you alright?" Rachel looked up at him, blinked once, like a newborn baby would when asked a question, then regained her composure quickly and nodded. "If you're sure…?" asked Zac turning back to face the road.

The rest of the journey was uneventful and mostly held in silence. After a while the bleak grey landscape of the freeway gave way to images of green hills, and houses sprawled across the horizon. So this was the meaning of suburbia, thought Rachel, gazing out of the window. Soon, the car turned off the freeway completely, following a road through houses with white picket fences and perfectly kept lawns and children playing out in the street. Zac made a few turns then came to a slow stop outside one particular house.

It looked like your typical American house. It was larger than most average houses would be England. It was cream coloured and had wood panels on the outside. There was a fairly large grass lawn at the front with a driveway and a garage off to one side. A blue people carrier was parked up the driveway. Zac got out of the car and Rachel followed suit, her eyes, for now, riveted on the house in front of her. Zac opened the boot of the car and helped heave Rachel's suitcases out. She took them without a word but stood staring at the house. Zac looked at her curiously, wondering what was running through her mind. He wouldn't have wanted to know.

Every fibre in her body was rebelling against this. It was a mistake; she should've just stood up to her mum and said no to coming out here. It was too much; it reminded her of home, of the things she had left behind. She tried to turn around quickly, her breath catching in her throat. Zac noticed and approached her. "Are you ok?" he asked for the second time that day. Rachel looked up at him, gulped in some air which now seemed plentiful and nodded. She had to go through with this, what was there to go back to?

Together the two moved forwards to the house. Zac paused at the front door, got his key out, unlocked the door and pushed it open. He hauled the two suitcases he was carrying into a living area, Rachel following with her one suitcase and hand luggage. The living area was spacious with a couple a couches forming a right angle opposite a television. There were French windows along the opposite wall leading out to a garden. To one side seemed to be a further room, and to the other, a small corridor leading to a kitchen.

"Mom?" Zac called, looking around.

"Zac? Is that you?" A blonde middle aged woman appeared around a corner, from the direction of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel. She smiled when she saw her son and embraced him, needing no words. Rachel wished her mum was the same; life would be so much easier if she had no words. The woman turned to her, still smiling. She reached to embrace Rachel, who flinched slightly, not used to the contact. The woman stood and looked at her at arms length before speaking, "Sophia showed me photos of you but you're so different to how I pictured you; so grown up!" Rachel merely forced a smile. No doubt her mum had shown Zac's mum photos of when she was about 13, before she had 'grown up'. "Now, are you tired? You must be surely, from the time distance? What time is it over in England?"

Rachel forced herself to speak through her surprisingly dry mouth, "Um…about 11pm, I think,"

"You must be exhausted. I'll make you a quick snack and drink and then you can go to bed if you'd like? I'll get Zac to show you your room." Zac's mum bustled off to the kitchen, indicating that Rachel should follow. She looked around to see that Zac had disappeared. Nice, she thought, just leave your guest by herself. Just as she thought that, Zac reappeared, stepping through the French windows looking at his phone. She looked at him and managed a small smile; he smiled back before looking at his phone and following his mom too.

Zac's mum had already prepared a small snack for the two by the time they'd reached the kitchen. There was a central table with several stools placed around it. Zac climbed into one, took a piece of fruit from the plate and began to eat whilst still texting on his phone. Rachel looked around and took a piece of fruit, "Thanks…um…Mrs Efron,"

"Oh, please it's Starla to you," Zac's mum said, smiling.

"Oh, ok…um…thanks," Rachel said again, uselessly. She looked at Zac, who still remained silent and texting.

Starla smiled, "Don't mind him. Since he became an actor, we can hardly get him off that thing!" She laughed. Rachel looked at his phone more closely and saw it was the new iphone. Those weren't even out in England yet. The few that were going to be released in the UK were going to cost hundreds of pounds. That wouldn't have been a problem for her, but she just hadn't expected Zac to have one. Maybe they were quite common over here? Or maybe Zac was a good actor and was making a name for himself, thought Rachel, discreetly checking his clothes, noticing that quite a few items were designer labels. That must be it she thought. Zac's family's house was nice and all but it didn't scream money like most rich people's houses did so that only left the option of Zac himself. "Zac, get off that thing and show Rachel her room. Poor girl looks like she's going to drop," said Starla, looking at Rachel, who looked alarmed herself; she didn't think she looked that bad.

Zac put his phone in his pocket and left the room, without speaking again. Rachel flashed her thanks to Starla in the guise of a smile. She followed Zac to the living area. "I'll show you where you're going to be staying," he said, picking up her suitcases.


	6. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Zac lead Rachel upstairs then turned a corner. One corridor lead to the left, "That's my parent's room up there and the bathroom," Zac informed her. Instead they turned to the right. The first door was covered in posters, "That's Dylan's room," Zac pointed at it with a nod of his head, "My brother," he added off Rachel's look. A little further along around another corner was another door, "Um, this is your room, mine's right next door," he nodded to a door right next to hers. He put down the suitcases and opened the door to what was going to be her room for however long.

The room was painted a magnolia colour, allowing the sunlight to pour into the room. A double bed was placed along one wall, with the head leaning against a little alcove. In a corner next to the bed was a little table. Along the opposite wall of the bed was a chest of drawers, a wardrobe and a desk. Zac put her suitcases on the floor next to her bed and put his hands in his pockets, "I know it's not much but--"

"It's perfect," Rachel smiled. True, it was a quarter of the size of her room back home but it didn't matter. This felt ten times more homely than the one there.

Zac looked at Rachel when she interrupted and tried to interpret the look on her face and the sound of her voice. To his surprise, she sounded genuine. Her face was lit up as if she'd never seen anything so amazing in her life and her voice had a melodic quality. He found himself gazing at her until he realised she was staring at him.

"Uh," he cleared his throat then said quickly, "Um, I'll let you unpack or sleep or whatever. If you need anything, um…well mom's downstairs and I'm just next door so…" he left the sentence unfinished.

"Thank you," she said softly. He made his was to the door and spared her one last look before he closed the door behind him.

Once Zac had closed the door, Rachel allowed herself to be overwhelmed. She barely managed to walk across the room and draw the curtains before she curled up onto the bed, grabbed a pillow to muffle the sounds and cried herself to sleep.

Zac was lying on his bed staring up at the ceiling. He was confused, mainly because of Rachel. He didn't know what to make of her at all. One minute she seemed openly hostile towards him, the next she seemed to…well, not like, but at least tolerate him. What was more confusing was the fact that she'd been here less than 6 hours and was confusing him already. His first impression had been right; she was going to be hard work.

He rolled onto his side, punching the pillow several times to try and make it comfortable. He sighed. No matter; he was going back to L.A in a couple of days. It was earlier than he'd planned but he needed to go back for meetings and for Vanessa. He missed her already and they'd been apart for three days. Things were going well with the two of them, at last. The past couple of months had been a bit too intense for his liking with the media coverage of their relationship heating up far too much for him to be comfortable with.

He rolled over to his other side, willing sleep to come to him but it stayed away. He sat up and walked over to his desk, opening his laptop and began to type a few emails to friends, seeing how they were getting on at college. An hour later, having written only one email, he gave the hope up as a last cause. He pinched the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger and closed his eyes, breathing deeply, this time feeling sleep come to him.

He walked over to the bed, got underneath the covers and closed his eyes. Just as he felt himself drifting off, his iphone started to ring. He looked at the caller i.d, groaned at the interruption just as he was sleepy, then picked up the phone. Where was this an hour ago when he was wide awake? He contemplated pressing the off button but didn't. She'd kill him if he didn't answer, especially with the premiere coming up. "Hi Ness…"

The next morning, Rachel woke up and groaned as bright sunlight shone through a crack in the curtains. She flipped onto her other side and pulled the covers over her head. Her eyes were sore and tired from crying yesterday. She had no idea where all that emotion had come from. Maybe it was because she hadn't really thought of coming to California as 'real' until she'd arrived here. Maybe it was because she missed her friends. Immediately after that, she thought who? Did she have friends back at home? Did 'they', the ones who'd done this, count? Probably not. Or maybe, she thought, maybe you're jealous. Zac has the perfect life here; family, house, car, girlfriend (most probably, although she couldn't be certain) and what did she have? She didn't even contemplate that question as she knew the answer already.

Rachel crawled out of bed and grabbed a towel from the back of a chair and headed towards the bathroom. She slipped off her clothes and stepped into the shower. One thing that always helped her was a long shower, a hot long shower. As the water began to pour down her body, it seemed to wash away all the dirt, all the filth, all the baggage from her previous life. Once she stepped out however, her problems were still there. But just for a while she could pretend they didn't exist.

Once she returned back to her room, she towel dried her hair and put it up in a loose bun. Then she started opening her suitcases, looking for something to wear. In the end she decided on a black tank top over a white one with some grey sweats and her fluffy slippers. She didn't plan on going out anywhere for a few days, just on getting her room sorted so she could live in it. Rachel made her way downstairs into the kitchen, where she could hear voices. Well, a voice.

When she entered the kitchen she saw Zac at the counter, his phone resting on his shoulder as he talked into it and trying to cut some fruit up. He looked up as she entered and then went back to cutting the fruit but having some difficulty. She stood and watched him for a moment and then walked slowly towards him. When she was a few paces from him she stopped, staring. Zac, noting this, put down the knife he was holding, covered the mouth piece with one hand and whispered, "What?"

Rachel startled at the question, "Sorry, I was just wondering…do you want some help with that?" She nodded at the fruit. He looked at her for a moment, and then stepped to one side so Rachel could move closer to the counter. He walked over to the fridge, carrying on his conversation as though she had not spoken, and selected a carton of juice from the shelf. He got two glasses from a cupboard and put them on the table, then rested against it with his back facing her. She shook her head slightly then started to cut up the fruit. Obviously a night's sleep hadn't improved his attitude. She listened to his end of the conversation, purely for the fact that there was little else to do, aside from cut the fruit.

"Yeah, in two days I think. Oh, come on you can last that long without me!" Zac laughed as the reply came down the line, "Ness, I swear, after I've got back, first thing I'll do is come and see you. Ok?" He laughed again. Clearly the girl was entertaining, noted Rachel frowning. She didn't want t deal with lovers' escapades this early in the morning. "Nah meetings all day mostly, yeah with Kenny. Apparently they've got the complete script now. It's gonna be sweet to be back with everyone! Oh yeah, Jas phoned the other day, wanted to see if he and Kath could come round. Thought it'd be kinda cool, not seen him for a while. Whaddya say?" He smiled as 'Ness' replied, whoever she was.

Rachel had finished chopping the fruit and started to look around for some plates or bowls to put them in. She stopped when she saw Zac reach into a cupboard, pull two dishes out and place them on the table. She reached over for them, catching his eye. She paused for a moment and then moved back to the counter, placing the fruit in the dishes.

"Ok, look I gotta go. I'll speak to you later. Yeah, I love you too. Bye." He hung up and put the phone back in his pocket, sitting down on a stool at the table. Rachel slid a dish over to him. He nodded, "Thanks." She gave a small smile. They both say there in silence for a minute or two eating, then Zac poured some juice from the carton into the glasses and gave one to Rachel. It was her time for thanks. Then Zac spoke, "So…uh…how'd you sleep last night?" She looked at him and nodded a little, "Ok." He nodded too. Then they lapsed into silence again.

Zac started a little when Rachel spoke again, "Who's Ness?" She didn't know what made her ask that question, curiosity, she guessed, although she'd figured out who it was by now.

"She's…um…she's my girlfriend," he said quietly, "She lives in L.A, like me. I worked with her on a couple of movies. I can't remember how long we've been together now, it's that long." He felt nervous telling her anything about him but he didn't know why. He just felt like she disapproved of him for some reason. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Rachel gave a small, private smile, "No, no-one I'd bring home to meet the parents anyway." Zac looked at her curiously, "They'd disapprove?" She thought of her last 'boyfriend' and smiled again, raising her eyebrows, "Oh yeah, they'd disapprove." Zac laughed, "The guy that bad?" Rachel smiled again, "Sort of. My mum wasn't exactly the…uh…accepting type," Zac nodded, "Right. How come--" But he was cut off by his phone ringing once again. Did that thing ever stop, Rachel wondered. "Sorry, I've gotta…" Zac trailed off. "No problem," Rachel replied. Zac walked off leaving her alone in the kitchen.


	7. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Over the next couple of days, Rachel mainly stayed in her room, sorting the place out. By the time she was done, the place looked halfway decent. She'd set up her laptop and ipod speakers on the desk, leaving some room for writing. Her clothes filled the closet and any spare space was taken up by bags and shoes. All other space in the room such as shelves were used for things such as her books (the ones she'd wanted), straighteners, all the usual things that inhabit a 19-year old girl's room.

Midway through her fifth day, Rachel heard activity coming from downstairs, in the hallway. She opened her room and went down the stairs to find out what was happening. She saw Zac standing in the hallway with a few bags around him and his parents and Dylan with him. "Mom," he laughed, "It's not going to be long, I'll be back soon I promise!"

"You say that," began Starla, "But then before you know it the next time we see you, it Thanksgiving!" They all laughed, then Starla hugged him as did David (his father). Dylan punched him lightly on the arm, "Gonna miss you around here. Who's gonna tell me what to expect in Strothmans class?" The two boys laughed and Zac replied, "I'm sure you'll figure him out. I did eventually."

Just then Zac noticed Rachel stood on the stairs. She was biting her lip and looking at him. David and Starla turned round and then said "Uh...Dylan help us move your brothers bags to the car? Please?" His father put an emphasis on the last word as he showed no sign of moving. Dylan sighed and grabbed a bag, heading outside. Rachel watched them leaving, then looked at Zac, "So…you're leaving?"

Zac nodded, "Not for long, despite what Mom says. I'm gonna be back for a couple of days around my birthday and Thanksgiving and stuff."

"Right," Rachel replied, nodding. "So guess this is goodbye but not for long," she smiled.

"Yeah," he smiled back. "So…" he gestured toward the car, "I better get going."

"Ok. See you soon." Rachel began walking back up the stairs.

"Yeah. Soon," he whispered when she was out of sight.

It had been three weeks since Zac had left and Rachel had done very little. She tried adjusting to her new temporary life but it didn't seem to be working. She was starting to get sick of the accents, of how the weather never changed, of not knowing anyone in town, of having nothing to do but lounge around all day. She longed to meet some people but was afraid of judgement; she wanted to work but didn't know what to do. There was a huge gap in her life at the moment but she had no idea of how to fix it. To make things slightly more complicated, Zac was returning home for a few days for his birthday. She'd not spoken to him since he left and wasn't sure what to talk to him about. She got the feeling he didn't like her, although he'd said nothing outright. Also, it was his birthday, did she get him something? But what? She had not idea what he liked. Money wasn't an issue as her mother was sending over allowances from England and since she wasn't going out, it was stocking up nicely.

She heard a knock at her door, saved the work she was doing on her laptop and went to answer it. When she opened it, she saw Dylan stood there. "Hey, me and mom are going to the store to get some things for Zac coming home. Do you wanna come?"

Rachel considered for a minute, "Yeah I'd like to. Hey, do you know what I could get Zac? I mean it'd be kinda wrong to stay in his house and not get anything for his birthday," she reasoned.

Dylan laughed, "Guess you could say that. Well…he always likes cologne, mainly DKNY if you wanna get him something like that."

Rachel smiled, "Ok, thanks, I'll just grab my bag then we can go."

"Happy Birthday!" David threw the door open to greet his son. Zac smiled, "Thanks Dad."

"Come in, everyone's here. Some of your friends came too."

Zac walked into the living area and saw his mom and Dylan, some of his aunts and uncles and various cousins and some of his friends who couldn't make it to LA. He looked around noticing someone was missing and then saw her coming out from the kitchen – Rachel. He smiled inwardly, pleased she was here. She placed the bowl of popcorn she'd been carrying down on the table. He was pleased she was here because he wanted to make a fresh start with her. He hadn't been himself last time he was home, mainly due to the fact that him and Ness had only just recovered from a rough patch. That had sort of passed now and they both seemed happy again.

The evening was fun. The party was basically everyone sat around, having a few drinks and some food, and recounting stories from years gone past. At one point, Zac noticed Rachel sat with the adults not exactly looking comfortable so he went over and crouched down in front of her, "Hey, you can come sit with us if you want," he nodded towards where his friends were sat outside on the chairs. She nodded and stood. He lead her over to his friends and a couple of cousins a similar age. "Hey everyone, this is Rachel, she's staying with us for a while. Sit down," he said softly. His friends mumbled greetings.

"So where you from?" asked one boy with short brown hair.

"Um…England actually. You might be able to tell from the accent." The boys laughed.

"Why you over here? Vacation?" another asked.

"No, just some…um…downtime. My mum thought it'd do me good to come over here," she nodded, not letting too much slip. The others seemed to accept this explanation and turned back to the conversation they were having.

"Hey man, remember Halloween last year? God, that was wild," yet a different boy piped up. The boys all laughed again.

Zac leaned in to explain to Rachel what had happened, "Right so we're in this hotel in Toronto…" Rachel sat back and listened, allowing Zac's story and the murmur of voices surrounding her to wash over her, soothing and relaxing…

Later on once the party was over, Rachel helped Starla and David tidy up as everyone had left and Zac, well Zac was a little drunk and trying not to let his parents see. "Night mom, night Dad," he gently slurred and made his way upstairs to bed. "Rachel its ok," said David, "We'll do this, you go on up to bed." Rachel smiled and then went up the stairs to her room.

She had just changed into her pyjamas when a soft knock occurred on the door. Thinking she'd misheard something, she called out, "Did someone just knock?" There was no answer only a louder knock this time. She walked to the door and Zac was stood in the doorway, quite clearly drunk now. He gently pushed past her and made his way into her room before crashing on the bed. Rachel turned to look at him, "Can I help you?"

"No," he replied dreamily, "Just wanted to hang out,"

"Zac it's 2 in the morning. We could maybe hang out tomorrow if you're so desperate…?" she asked, used to talking to drunken people, although she was usually drunk herself. She figured it wasn't best to drink tonight, especially when staying at someone else's house for a while.

"No, now," he whined, like a little child. Sighing, Rachel shut the door, and walked over to her desk chair and sat on it. "Fine, what do you want to do?"

Zac frowned at her, "Come sit," he patted the bed. Rachel bit her lip, looked at the door then back at Zac. Sighing again, she got up and came and sat next to him. "I just want to get to know you better I mean you are staying at my house with my family and we didn't get off to a great start last time so I figured let's play nice and try and do this properly. I mean last time I was all mad and stuff 'cos of Van…Van…Nessa but all that's gone now and I'm happy so--"

He was cut-off by Rachel, "Zac you're babbling. I can't understand a word you're saying," she laughed.

"Oh" he frowned, looking genuinely puzzled, "Do you want me to start again?"

Rachel interrupted before he could, "No, it's fine. Let's just…let's just watch a movie or something, yeah?" She walked over to her DVDs and picked one off the self, slipping it into her laptop. The two sat there for the next 2 hours watching the movie. Before it had even finished though, Zac had dropped off to sleep. Rachel sat next to him, leaning on the pillows. What the hell was she supposed to do?

Sighing, she switched off her laptop, switched off the light and walked out of the door to Zac's room. She opened the door and slipped inside, careful not to be too loud so as to wake someone. She couldn't really see anything in the dark but could just make out the bed. She walked over and slipped underneath the covers, falling asleep.


	8. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

Zac awoke the next day to a headache. Not as bad as some of his hangovers but definitely something he could've done without. He stretched, overbalanced and fell off the bed. "Ow, Jesus!" he exclaimed. This had done something to wake him up. He looked around suddenly noticing where he was. This wasn't his room; it was Rachel's. But where was she? He had enough memory of last night to know that he'd come here last night to 'hang out'. He groaned rubbing his face in his hands. How stupid had he been? She probably disliked him even more now. He stood up and walked over to his room and stopped at what he saw.

Rachel was in his bed. The covers were pulled tight around her, almost like a little cocoon. Her jet black hair spilling out over the pillows, her face was ghostly white against the blue sheets but looked content. He watched her for a moment, smiling to himself. He tried to creep around her to grab some clothes to change into but stepped on something inadvertently which snapped. Shit, he thought. He looked over to see Rachel had woken up. She blinked a couple of times and then whispered "Zac…? What are you…? I mean…why…?" Then the memories obviously came flooding back because she looked embarrassed and tried to disentangle herself from the sheets. "I'm sorry; I just thought…I mean you were asleep and…"

"Hey its ok," said Zac, "It was my fault. If I hadn't crashed in your room…" he trailed off looking at her. Then they laughed unexpectedly, smiling. "I'm just gonna get some clothes," said Zac heading towards his closet.

"Ok, I'm gonna go back to my room," Rachel laughed. Zac watched her as she climbed out of his bed. Her hair was ruffled from the night and her pyjamas (a cami top and some shorts) really did nothing to help what was going through his mind right now. He could see how toned her legs were and how flat her stomach was. He turned away. He shouldn't be thinking of those things; he had Vanessa. That didn't mean he couldn't look though right? Look but not touch.

By the time he came out of his reverie, Rachel had left his room. This was so inconvenient, he sighed.

It was the next day and Rachel was sat out in the garden, on the grass, writing in a notepad. Zac saw her and came and sat beside her.

"What are you doing?" he asked, settling down.

She looked at him, closing her notepad. "Nothing much, just some writing. Whenever I get upset or feel…anything really, I write it down and those feelings sometimes become poems or songs or whatever." Feeling like she'd said too much, she stopped talking, listening to a bird chirping.

"Wow…that's…that's pretty cool. I thought you were gonna say reading or something," shrugged Zac.

"With a pencil?" she enquired, one eyebrow raised.

"Well you never know, you could be a slow learner," he teased.

"Hey," she protested, laughing.

Zac smiled. It was a good start. They seemed to be getting on better. Rachel seemed a little more open to him, although in terms of her life back in England, she was a closed book. She never mentioned anything about home except little things that weren't so significant. It made him wonder what had happened back there to make her have to come all the way to California. He knew his mom knew but at this stage, he didn't want Rachel to think he'd gone behind her back. He got the feeling that she wasn't quite happy here though. He decided to ask.

"Are you ok?"

"What, now?" she asked shielding her eyes from the sun, using her hand. She shrugged, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"No, I mean…" he picked at some grass beside him, twirling it between his fingers, "I mean here, California, my house…" He looked at her.

Rachel was silent for a little while then answered softly, "No I don't think I am. It's not that I miss home or anything. I don't want to go back there. Not yet at least. It's…I don't know. I'm used to being busy and here I'm doing nothing and no offence but seeing how tight you are as a family…it makes me feel a little uncomfortable sometimes," Off the look on Zac's face, she added, "Just 'cos I wish I had that and I don't. I miss being round people. The only ones I talk to are your mum and dad and Dylan. I guess I'm…" she almost laughed out loud from the thought of saying it but completed the sentence anyway, "Lonely."

"Why don't you come to LA with me?" The words were out of Zac's mouth before he could stop them.

Rachel looked at him, slightly shocked, "What?"

"Come with me to LA. You'll be around me and my friends so that'll solve the…um…loneliness thing and there's plenty of work in LA – whatever you want to do; acting, waitressing, modelling, you could be a secretary or assistant or something. Whatever you want," He looked at her expectantly.

"Zac, I don't know…" she said, "LA might not be the best place for me. There's too much…" She didn't want to say drugs, sex, parties, alcohol which was on her mind. Instead she settled for "Temptation."

He looked at her puzzled, "Temptation…?"

Rachel sighed. She supposed she had to tell him. If she did get into some shit out here, it would be helpful to have someone who might be able to do what her mother or 'friends' had never been able to: stop her. "I…back in England," she picked up her pencil and began playing with it, "Back in England, I got into um…some trouble. I was at university, my first year at Magdalene College at Oxford. I was away from my mum for the first time and I just got carried away with things. It was ok at first, I could handle it, it was only alcohol, but then it was the parties, constantly. I fell behind on my work, I didn't attend seminars. I got introduced to some drugs in my first term…semester…and I don't know. Everything sort of gets a bit blurry. The parties continued, there was more alcohol, more drugs…sex…I got called into the Deans office so many times. In the end, just before the Easter holidays, the college President decided it was best I leave; go home, 'get yourself sorted' as he said. They offered me a place this year but…I couldn't accept. I couldn't go back there, with the same people, the ones who knew what I'd done. Mum was so mad, she got me a job but I couldn't hold anything down, I was too distracted and then….then she um…well some stuff happened and she decided to send me here. And here I am," Rachel breathed a big sigh of relief. It felt good to get it out in some ways but she so feared what Zac would say. She hadn't told him the whole story; in fact what she'd told him was about one fifth of what had actually happened but she wasn't ready to tell the whole story yet. Not even her mum knew everything.

"Wow," Zac breathed, "I'm not too sure what to say." Rachel nodded, "Most people weren't either." He was silent for a few moments then turned to her, "Well this doesn't change anything. The offers still there and…and I'll try and…watch out for you…I mean if you want? Me and my friends, we don't go out and do anything like that so you wouldn't be tempted anyway I don't think but if you're not sure…" he trailed off after letting the sentence come out in one big rush.

Rachel looked at him, blinking. He hadn't run away, he hadn't judged her, he hadn't dismissed her. Maybe he was what she needed: a friend – someone to look out for her, to make sure she was alright. She hated relying on people, loving her independence, but maybe it was time to swallow her pride and accept help. She knew an olive branch when she saw one; a sign of peace, of understanding, of being there.

"Zac, I'd love to come to LA."


	9. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

_Flashback_

_One year ago – second week of Michealmas Term_

_She was in her room, papers were spread all over her desk and numerous textbooks were present around the room. Some clothes were on the floor, along with shoes and bags. Rachel sat at her desk facing the window which had a view of the college library. There was a square of grass with a tree in the middle and an intricate path leading around this to the library. In one corner of the quad was a selection of bikes locked to some railings. The sky outside was starting to darken as night drew closer. She looked up from the essay she was attempting and sighed. The words just didn't seem to be coming tonight. She put her pen down, pushed the chair backwards and walked over to her bed. She picked up a book that was resting on the bed and lay down with it, starting to read_… '"Get up wretched idiot before I stamp you to death!" he said making a movement that caused me to make one also…"' _Wuthering Heights; one of her __favourite__ books.__ She enjoyed the scenery of the dark moors, of the wild and passionate story of __Heathcliff__ and Catherine. It was something she could lose herself in. _

_Just as she was settling down to read, a knock sounded at her door. Sighing, Rachel stood up and answered it. In the door was one of her friends, Tom. "Hey gorgeous," he said, flashing a killer smile. "What are you doing tonight?" Educated at Eton, Tom was one of those rare very rich people who __was__ also nice. He had charm and good looks in abundance and wasn't above using them sometimes to get his way. His hair was black, just below his ears and swept to one side. He also had a small silver stud in one ear. Rachel wasn't exactly sure if this was allowed but then again Tom had never been one for rules. He was a rugby player and a rower and had taken a liking to Rachel ever since he met her at __Freshers'__ Week. He was a second year at Magdalene College, studying economics. Rachel had the sneaky suspicion he was only hear to please his father but then again, who was she to judge?_

_"Not much," she replied shrugging her shoulders, "I was trying to work on that essay due for next week but…" she trailed off._

_Tom picked up her meaning, "Yeah, that's my problem too. Can't believe it's the first week here and they've got you doing essays already! Eco seems much easier," he laughed._

_Rachel laughed too, "Precisely why you're doing it, isn't it?" she teased. _

_"Hey, shut up," Tom replied, jokingly, "Anyway, I was wondering if you fancied coming down to the JCR for a…shall we say…refreshment?"_

_Rachel raised an eyebrow, "Refreshment?"_

_"Alright then, alcohol.__ But we're keeping it quiet. The Dean said we're not allowed in after what happened in __Freshers'__ Week," he tried to __surpress__ a smile at the memory. Rachel smiled knowingly. One of the first years who lived in another quad, had got so colossally drunk in the JCR and thrown up all over the seating area. They hadn't known about the 'No alcohol in the JCR room' rule and the students supposed to be looking after him got told off so badly the entire college had been banned from the JCR room for an entire two week, this week being the second. This hadn't stopped most of the student though. _

_"Sure, sounds good. I'll just sort my bag out. Come in," she moved to one side so Tom could come in._

_"Wow, your rooms so tidy. Mines a mess already," he said, looking around._

_Rachel laughed whilst putting a few things in a bag, "Ok," she said, straightening up, "Let's go."_

_The two walked through the quad together and made their way through the college and up some stairs to the JCR room. _

_"But it's locked…?" said Rachel puzzled._

_Tom smiled cheekily and then produced a key from his pocket, "Being on the JCR executive has __it's__ advantages." Rachel laughed as Tom opened the door. When he did he was greeted by voices which came to a halt. _

_"Hey, it's alright," Tom called, "It's only me,"_

_Several people that Rachel __recognised__ as being Tom's friends appeared from another room. Greetings to the both of them followed. Tom led Rachel to the other room where some more people were lounging around on chairs. He passed her a glass pouring some wine into it and another one for __himself__. "Cheers," he said, knocking their glasses together._

_She smiled, "Cheers."_

_A few hours and several bottles later, the number of people had diminished slightly but those that were left were playing yet another game of Ring of Fire._

_"__Oooh__, six!__ It's 'I've Never…'!" exclaimed one girl._

_Rachel giggled, "I hate this one!"_

_One of the boys sat to her right started to speak, "Ok, I've never…I've never had sex in a public place."_

_Rachel spoke, "Does a car count?" she giggled again. _

_The group laughed, "Yeah! Ah unlucky __Rach__Drink!"_

_Rachel laughed and looked at Tom who was smiling at her. The attraction between the two of them had been evident since they first met and tended to be heightened by alcohol. The game continued on but Rachel was too drunk to take much notice of what was going on. She reached for her bag and fumbled with her phone, looking for the time. __1.26am__. Shit, she had seminars all next day and hadn't done the work for one of them. She'd intended to go back and do it earlier but just lost track of time. _

_She stood up and mumbled a drunken goodbye to everyone, promising to call her friend Melissa the next day. Tom stood up too and walked with her to the door, "I'm going to walk __Rach__ back to her room," This produced much wolf whistles among the people in the room. Tom just grinned at them. Rachel laughed and playfully pushed him away. "Hey don't run away you," he said following her down the stairs. The two drunkenly made their way to her room where Rachel proceeded to say goodbye to Tom._

_"I'm not inviting you in Tom 'cos I'm not going to have sex with you 'cos I've only just met you and I don't __wanna__ be like that. So I'm being good and saying goodbye and I'll see you tomorrow," she slurred. _

_Tom looked at her smiling and then kissed her on the cheek, "Ok, night gorgeous."_

_Rachel stumbled into her bed and promptly fell asleep. _

_Rachel woke to find the harsh morning light glaring through her window. She blinked and groaned. Her head was pounding. How much did she drink last night? One, two, three…bottles? She groaned again and crawled out of bed looking at her face in the mirror. She looked like shit. She'd left her make up on as she usually did after drinking too much and her skin had flared up. Just as she was washing her phone started to ring. She wiped her face quickly with a towel and grabbed the phone. However, just as she did, it flipped over to the answer phone. She listened to the message._

_"Where the hell were you?" a voice hissed down the phone. Melissa. Shit, the seminar. The one she hadn't done the work for. __The one where her and Melissa were the only students there.__ That meant she'd left Mel on her own with Dr Phil (no really, it's not made up). Shit, she was going to kill her. Not to mention Dr Phil would kill her. __Shiiiiit__ Melissa's voice continued, "…and I had to do the entire thing without you! Honestly __Rach__! It's the second week! We've got another six to go. I need--__" Rachel__ flipped the phone shut. She didn't need to hear anymore. Just as she was recovering from that, an even bigger, possibly nastier shock was in store for her. Her phone started to ring again but this time it was her mum. Rachel sighed, she'd avoided her for three weeks, she supposed they had to speak some time. "Hi mum…"_


	10. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Rachel looked around at her new home for the next few weeks. They had arrived at Zac's apartment in one piece, no thanks to his driving, she thought. If there were 'STOP' signs anywhere in Los Angeles, she had yet to see them. At least they'd arrived quicker than expected and had more time to unpack and settle in.

Zac had shown Rachel to the spare room. It was bigger than the one back at the Efron house but sparsely furnished. Zac shrugged, "Yeah…sorry about that. I'm sort of getting stuff at the minute but it's pretty much got everything…" he looked around.

"Except a wardrobe?" she asked.

"Yeah…" he said slowly, rubbing his neck with one hand as he looked embarrassed. "I should really think about what I say before opening my mouth. When asking people to stay, check there's a wardrobe in spare room, especially if a girl," he noted to himself.

Rachel laughed, "Can't imagine you have too many girls around here aside from your girlfriend."

"Vanessa"

"Right. Vanessa. Sorry. It's just I've never met her so it feels kind of weird to call her by her name." Zac looked at her funnily, "Ok, that made no sense," Rachel had said setting the bags she'd been carrying down on the floor.

"I'll call a home furnishing company; see if they can get one delivered in the next few days. In the mean time…um…do you wanna put a few things in my closet? Just stuff you don't want creasing or whatever?" Zac asked, speaking quickly.

Rachel blushed then thought about it, "Well, if you don't mind?" Zac smiled and then led her to his room. It was exactly like his room back home; messy. He showed her to the closet, shoving aside some of his clothes, making room for hers.

"If you need anymore just let me know. I'll clear out a draw for you too so you've got space for…um…you know, whatever else," he shifting one foot to the other looking embarrassed again. She smiled to herself. It was fun seeing him uncomfortable mentioning anything private about her. He was really shy for a guy who had looks to kill and an (apparently) 'hot' movie career.

That had been earlier in the day. Now, Rachel was unpacked and moved in, with half of her clothes in Zac's closet and the other in two of his drawers (one hadn't been enough). It was going to be a little awkward but no more so than living with a complete stranger that she barely knew.

Luckily, Zac had an anecdote for that. "Take out?" he called from the kitchen.

"Depends what you're getting," replied Rachel, flicking through some channels on the TV. God, everything was the same over here – crap, crap, crap, even worse crap…oh Scrubs, that'd do. She pressed the select button on the remote.

"Anything you want," he said appearing round the doorway from the kitchen, "I'm easy,"

Rachel forced herself not to say anything at that remark instead settling on the answer, "I honestly don't mind Zac. I don't really know what the takeaways are like around here so I'll leave it up to you."

"Ok, surprise then," he replied back, going back into the kitchen. A few minutes later, she heard him on the phone but couldn't make out what he was saying. Another couple of minutes and he came back into the living are, settling down into one of the chairs adjacent to Rachel who was sitting on the couch. "It'll be here in around a half hour," he informed her.

"Ok," she smiled, turning back to the TV.

"What are you watching? Scrubs? I love that show," said Zac.

"Me too," Rachel replied, "It used to stop me from doing anything productive at university," she smiled. Zac, unsure of whether to laugh or not, just looked at her. "I meant it in a jokey way Zac," she said softly.

"Oh," he replied, his face breaking into a smile.

They sat in silence for the rest of the show, whilst Rachel stole sneaky glances at Zac. He really was good looking now she had a proper chance to be near him. His eyes were such a sparkling blue they could knock any woman off her feet. His body…well, it was safe to say he worked out…and he looked good for it, At the moment, he was wearing a medium blue t-shirt which clung to his skin and some shorts, no sandals this time; it was all he seemed to wear back home; those and Vans anyway. His hair was swept to one side and he kept having to flick it out of his eyes. She smiled as he did this once and then turned back to the TV.

A little while after the show had finished, the takeaway arrived. Zac paid the guy after refusing to take any money from Rachel despite her complaining that he was letting her stay at his apartment rent free for however long she wanted and that she wanted to pay. He took the takeaway into the living area arranging it on the coffee table in front of them both. Rachel smiled, "Chinese. Are you a mind reader? I was craving Chinese just the other day,"

Zac laughed, "Me too actually. That's why I ordered. Just took a chance on you liking it too. You want to watch a movie while we eat? I've got a lot." He walked over to a cabinet and pulled back the door, showing a collection of hundreds of DVDs.

"Wow, that is a lot," she breathed, "I don't know! I'm terrible when I have too many choices," she moaned, "You pick, honestly. If I did we'd be here all night." She walked back to the couch and settled down in it. Zac took a moment to decide then picked a DVD and slipped it into the Xbox attached to the TV. The titles started rolling up and she looked at him, "Knocked Up?"

He looked back, "You never heard of it?"

"Yeah I have, just never seen it," Rachel replied.

"First time for everything," Zac said cheekily. They both reached forward accidentally going for the same carton of rice. "Oh, you have it, it's fine," Zac said quickly.

"No honestly, I'm sorry, you have it. I'll just get the other--" But they'd both reached for the other one too.

"Ok, ok," Zac laughed, "You have the first one, I'll have the second and we'll switch halfway deal?"

"Deal," Rachel smiled.

Zac reached over her and turned the lamp off beside her, plunging the room into darkness except for the glow of the television. Whilst the movie played, he stole glances at Rachel. The glow of the TV cast a glow on her skin which made her look ethereal and dream-like. Her body shook a little every time she laughed and because she was slouched down in the couch, he couldn't help notice her cleavage. He shouldn't have looked, he knew but…there was just something about her that intrigued him. Maybe it was her past, she had told him a little about why she was here but he knew there was a lot she wasn't telling him. In time, maybe when they knew each other more. In the meantime he needed to remember he had a girlfriend. Shit, Vanessa! He said he'd ring her as soon as he got back. Well, one day couldn't hurt could it? Besides she'd never know. He settled down to carry on watching the film, even though his mind was anywhere but.

After the first film, the pair decided to have a mini-move marathon and stayed up until 5am the next day watching as many movies as they could manage. Finally, as the credits rolled on the last movie they'd watched, Rachel croaked, "Ok, that's it, I'm going to bed." She got up off the couch and started walking to her room.

Zac blinked, waking himself up, "Yeah, yeah, me too."

After she'd watched the first movie, Rachel had had so much fun, she hadn't wanted to go to bed so Zac offered to have a marathon to get to know her a little better. By the time they'd finished he hadn't the heart or the energy to tell her he needed to be up in an hour to go to the gym and then a meeting so wouldn't be going to bed. After making sure Rachel had gone to her room, he walked to the kitchen and made himself some coffee. It was going to be a long day, following a fun night.


	11. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Zac came back from his meetings the next day to find music playing in the house. He walked to the kitchen as that was where it appeared to be coming from and saw Rachel dancing round the kitchen with a bowl in her hand mixing something with a wooden spoon.

_"It's all about you, it's all about you baby, it's all about you, its all about yoooooou…"_ she sang along to the song that was playing from the ipod speakers in the living room. He smiled to himself, just as he did; she turned around and nearly dropped the bowl she was holding. She managed to catch it at just the last minute as Zac raced forward too.

"Shit," she breathed, placing a hand on her chest, "How long have you been there?" She walked over to the speakers and turned the volume down so she could actually hear him speak.

"Long enough to know that you've actually got a pretty good voice. What you making?" he asked, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"Um," Rachel looked into the bowl, "Cookies, I think. I'm trying to remember the recipe from scratch so not sure if it'll work." Rachel looked embarrassed and placed the bowl down on the counter. She tucked her hair behind her ear and went to get some ingredients out of one of the cupboards.

"There's a tray in that one over there," said Zac, pointing at a cupboard a few doors away from where she was. She looked at him and was about to say something then decided against it. Zac put the script in front of him on the table, opened it a few pages in and began reading.

"What's that?" asked Rachel, putting the tray down and beginning to scoop some of the mixture on to the tray in small circles.

"Oh, it's the script for High School Musical 3. I need to read through it to see if I want to sign on for the third."

"Will you?" she asked, concentrating on the dough in front of her.

"Sign on? Probably, if for no other reason than to lay it to rest. It'll be fun to be back with the gang and everything but I need to escape from this role I think. It's been nearly 3 years since I first got it," he sighed. Then, realising he sounded ungrateful, he added, "Don't get me wrong, High School Musical's great, it's opened so many doors but…I just wanna try something different, you know?"

Rachel nodded, "Yeah," she took the bowl to the sink and then stopped. "Zac? Could I ask a favour?"

"Hm?" he said not looking up from the script.

"Can you….um…" she wasn't used to asking other people for help and it was hard, "Canyouhelpmefindajob?"

"What?" he asked, laughing, bought out of his reverie.

Rachel took a deep breath and then said more slowly, "Can you help me find a job? Please?" she added.

Zac regarded her for a moment then smiled; aware that this was probably something she wasn't used to - asking for help. "Yeah, of course. What kind of thing are you looking for?" he asked, closing the script.

"I don't know. I haven't really thought about it to be honest, I'd just like to do something aside from being in the flat all day," she replied.

"Um…ok…well have you ever considered anything like modelling or acting…or even singing?" he grinned.

She looked at him and pursed her lips, "No way Zac. Besides they're not really my thing. Maybe just like an assistant or secretary or some kind of office work? What would I do though?"

"Well…" Zac paused.

"What?"

"I've got an idea but…but you might not like it and I don't want you to think that's what I wanted you out of here for but, well this way, we'd get to spend a bit more time together and you'd get to meet quite a few people," he took a deep breath then said, "You could be my assistant." Rachel stared at him. "Ok, crap idea, forget I mentioned it."

"Seriously? You'd want me to be your assistant? But…why?" she asked.

Zac flinched slightly. He had been expecting her to outright reject the idea instead it seemed like she was considering it. "For the reasons I just said," he shrugged.

"What would I have to do?" she asked, sitting on a stool, cupping her face in her hands.

"Not much admittedly," Zac said, thinking about it, "Just accompany me to some meetings, maybe events and premieres, that kinda thing,"

"I'd get to go to premieres?" Rachel replied, leaning forward, her eyes sparkling.

Zac laughed, "Yeah if you want to."

"Aah!" she cried, jumping up. "This is ace! Is this ok with you?"

He cocked his head to one side, "Wouldn't have asked if it wasn't," he replied.

"Thank you," Rachel said, smiling. She walked over to where he was sat and hugged him, placing her arms around his neck. He put his arms around her waist and breathed in the scent of her hair and snuggled closer to her. They stayed like that for a minute then Rachel disentangled herself from Zac's arms and blushed, tucking her hair behind her ear again. He stared at her and she sensed it, looking up to find his bright blue eyes piercing right through her. She held his gaze but only for a minute before turning away. He looked down at his shoes, aware that the air between them had suddenly grown very thick with atmosphere. He made to reach a hand out to her then decided against it and let her walk away from him.

"Ok so now this girl's going to be working for you as well as living with?" asked Vanessa in an even voice which gave nothing away. She paced the room a few times before Zac answered.

"Yeah…" he said slowly, trying to gage what her reaction was going to be to this news.

She sighed and looked at him, at his expression, "Oh baby, I'm not mad, it's just…well, how would you feel if I had some random guy living with me?"

"She's not--" Zac was about to say she's not some random girl but the truth was she was. She wasn't a relative or anything or a friend from High School, she was his mom's friend's daughter – which made her what to him exactly? A friend? Not yet, although it seemed like they were getting closer each day.

Zac decided to take a different approach, "She just needs a friend right now, she uh…she went through a hard time back home. Please understand this? I want you to meet her. She's cool…very," he searched for the right word, "English" he decided on.

Vanessa giggled, "English?"

"Yeah," Zac laughed, "She seems like she could be real fun, just needs to make some friends out her, loosen up a little bit." But not too much, he thought, thinking of what she'd said. _Too much temptation…_Zac put his arms on Vanessa's hips, drawing her in closer, though she had her arms crossed as a sign she wasn't giving in.

"Why couldn't she have stayed with your parents though?" pouted Vanessa.

"She wasn't enjoying it. Arroyo isn't exactly the most exciting place in the world and there's no-one her age there. Surely you can understand that?" he asked, moving away from her slightly, though leaving his hands where they were.

Vanessa shrugged, "Maybe. I just don't want to have to share my time with you. I hardly see you at the moment as it is,"

"You don't have to. I'll come round here whenever we want to see each other. You can still come round to mine, just maybe…if we wanna do…other things, we'll have to come here," he said softly, a small cheeky smile playing on his lips.

"Other things?" asked Vanessa, her eyebrows rising, "Such as…?"

Zac kissed her lightly on the lips, "Such as that," he kissed her harder this time, letting his tongue slip into her mouth, "or that," his hand ran up her back, feeling her bare skin under her shirt. Reaching her bra, he unclipped it, "Or that…"

Vanessa smiled and took his hand, leading him to the bedroom.


	12. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

It was about a month since Rachel had been at Zac's and she was finally feeling like she belonged somewhere. The wardrobe had arrived at last so she no longer lived out of Zac's, she'd met Zac's friends – one girl, Sophie, and her boyfriend Jack she'd started to hang out with quite a bit; they all got on really well, she'd met agents, public relations officers, directors –all different kinds of people she would never normally have done. To be honest, being Zac's 'assistant' require nothing more than accompanying him to places and keeping company and that was fine by her. She was getting to see Los Angeles under the guise of a 'job'; they knew it wasn't really one but it was nice to know they had each other to laugh about things with when meeting just got too tedious.

Both Rachel and Zac had grown a lot closer to each other over the weeks so that things were comfortable between them. However, Zac's relationship with Vanessa didn't appear to be going that well. He never really mentioned anything about her directly but whenever he spoke to her on the phone, the calls were always short but not necessarily sweet. From what Rachel could gather, she guessed Vanessa still wasn't happy with the living arrangements but instead of Zac asking her to move, he just seemed to get more frustrated with Vanessa. Rachel had met her (on Zac's bidding) although she hadn't been too sure. Meeting the girlfriend of the guy you're living with is not exactly the most pleasant situation to be in. Rachel tried to act nice but Vanessa obviously didn't want to play the same game. Zac had ended up driving Rachel home 2 hours earlier than planned and then driving back to Vanessa's to spend the night with her. As the weeks went on though, he was spending less and less time with her and although she couldn't be certain, Rachel sensed a break up was on the horizon; she hated the thought of being the reason for it though.

On this particular night, it was the premiere of the DVD release of High School Musical 2. Even though Rachel hadn't got a clue what it was or what it was about, she was going as Zac's 'assistant' for the night. Zac himself actually found it quite endearing that she didn't know any of his movies, it kept him humble. Rachel looked at herself in the full length mirror – apparently even backstage people had to make an effort when it came to premiere's so Zac had found a shopping assistant in the form of Ashley (Tisdale) to take Rachel to get a new dress since she didn't know many places in LA. The dress Ashley had helped her chose was a strapless, skin tight dark purple dress with a black waist belt and some black heels. It helped show off her curves and accentuated her breasts. She teamed it with gem stone ring, a necklace, some earrings and a bangle.

Rachel came down the stairs as carefully as she could so she wouldn't trip over to find Zac waiting at the bottom. He looked up as she came down. Wow, he thought. "Um…you look…um…good. Have to tell Ash great job," he smiled. Rachel smiled back, blushing a little and running her hands over her outfit to smooth away any lines. "Anyway, the limos waiting outside if you're ready," he started to walk out the door. Rachel grabbed her silver clutch and followed.

There were flashing lights all around and hundreds of photographers all swarming around the cast like flies. Rachel hadn't seen Zac properly for about an hour due to the fact that he was always surrounded by people and Vanessa. Rachel had avoided Vanessa thus far but it hadn't stopped her shooting evil looks at Rachel whenever she got too near Zac. It didn't bother her unduly; she was used to girls hating her, she tended to have that effect for some reason.

At the moment, Zac and Vanessa were on the red carpet posing for the photographers. At one point, Zac looked over his shoulder to where he'd last seen Rachel standing; she wasn't there now. He glanced around for her again but couldn't see.

"Zac," Vanessa hissed, "Pay attention instead of looking for that girl,"

"I wasn't looking for--" he started to retort back but then bit his lip as Vanessa shot him a look. She'd disguised it with a loving expression for the cameras but there was murder in her eyes. "Never mind," he sighed. Just then, he caught a glimpse of Rachel out of the corner of his eye, he gave a small smile and she smiled back. Vanessa unfortunately saw the action and shot Zac another look then removed her arm from around his waist and stormed off towards to the escalators. Zac smiled once more for the cameras and hurried after Vanessa. Rachel, who saw the entire exchange, followed along with all Zac's team but kept far enough away to stay out of trouble. At the top of the stairs, she heard Vanessa's voice.

"…I don't care Zac! You've become a completely different person these past few weeks. How am I supposed to trust you?"

As she came round the corner, Rachel saw Zac try to grab her hand, "Van, please. She's not important, just some girl ok. It's you I'm in love with. How can you not know that?" Vanessa tugged her hand out of Zac's and stormed off. Seeing Rachel, Zac merely looked at her, his face indecipherable and then took off after Vanessa.

"Zac?" Rachel called.

He spun around, "What?" he barked.

She stood there for a moment dumbstruck then stuttered a response, "N-N-Nothing." He looked at her for a moment and then followed Vanessa.

Rachel stood in the middle of the huge press room, completely at a loss as to where to go or what to do. Zac looked after her most of the time she accompanied these kinds of things and she hadn't really got used to being on her own. She stood with her hands folded in front of her demurely, looking around for anyone she knew. There was Ashley but she was currently surrounded by family and friends, plus Rachel wasn't sure she'd be that nice to her at the moment; she was, after all, Vanessa's best friend. Suddenly Rachel caught a glimpse of someone she recognised. "Sophie?"

The blonde-headed girl spun round, "Rachel! Heya gorgeous. How are you? Where's Zac? You look fabulous!" Sophie gave her a hug and held her at arms length to admire her outfit, "Very retro, 60's," she nodded approvingly. Rachel giggled. That was what she loved about Sophie – she was very American, everything was fabulous and gorgeous but she was a good person who was helping Rachel find her feet over here. "Jack! Come over here!" called Sophie.

The tall surfer-looking guy walked over smiling, "Hi Rach," he kissed her on the cheek, "Pretty crazy huh? Still can't believe these people are here for Zac," he looked around, "I remember when he used to dance around wearing a garbage bag," he laughed. Rachel smiled but the smile faded as Jack asked, "So where is he?"

"Um…he sort of had an argument with Vanessa and she went off so he went after her and…" replied Rachel. Sophie and Jack exchanged a look that showed they knew all too well what she was talking about.

"Man, those two," Jack shook his head, "Guess things aren't perfect anymore in paradise," Jack said. Sophie hit him lightly on the arm, "Jack!"

"Oh come on Soph, you know it as well as everyone else. I'd be surprised if those two last the month." Rachel shifted her weight from one foot to another and looked mildly uncomfortable. Sophie noticed and touched her lightly on the arm, "Come on, spend the night with us, we'll find the guys and have a good time no matter what."


	13. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

Zac cam back to his apartment the next day exhausted, physically and emotionally. He threw his jacket down on the couch and buried his head in his hands. After talking the entire night with Vanessa, she'd broken up with him. She claimed they'd grown apart and he wanted to deny this, in fact he had, but in his heart he knew the truth. They had grown apart. A couple of months ago they'd nearly broken up but decided to give it another go (that was why they went on vacation in Hawaii) but it wasn't working. Their schedules conflicted, they hardly saw each other, then the scandal – it had all played its part. But the excuses offered no comfort to him. He sat on the couch, tears forming in his eyes. He didn't want to believe it was over, not yet. He leant back and closed his eyes breathing deeply.

However long it was later, Zac heard a key in the door or rather a fumbling of trying to get a key in the door. He sighed and stood up, walking over to open the door. He pulled it open and Rachel stumbled in, almost falling over. Zac grabbed her by the waist to stop her landing on the floor. "Oh, sorry," she giggled, dissolving in laughter. He let go of her and sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He didn't want to have to deal with a drunken girl, least of all this early in the morning after a horrible break-up the night before. He watched her walk in a none-too-straight line to the couch and flop down on it. "Mmm, comfy," she said, drunkenly, "Can I stay here?" she seemed to ask to no-one in particular.

"Rach?" Zac asked, coming over to the couch.

"Mmm," she rolled over on the couch to face him. Her dress rode up slightly as she rolled over and he could see how toned her legs were. Stop, he shouldn't be looking. Her eyes were glazed over with the effects of a night of drinking quite heavily from the looks of it. "You're cute," she said, "I've never said anything before cos you were with Van…Van…Vanessa," she finally managed to find the right letters to form a word, "But Sophie…and Jack," she added in a conspiracy-like whisper, "think you two are gonna break up so it can't do any harm in telling you and I'm not gonna be here in while anyway so--"

Zac had to stop her talking; he'd heard enough already. He put a finger on her lips and whispered, "Rach, it's ok, you don't need to say anything. I think it's best you go to sleep. I'll get you a blanket," He walked to his room and fetched one, placing it loosely over her body by which time she'd already closed her eyes and was falling asleep, "Thank you," she murmured, pulling the blanket closer to her body. Zac took one last look at her and then went o the bathroom.

Inside he closed the door and found the tablets he was looking for. He just wanted a dreamless sleep tonight. He took a mug from the basin and filled it up with water. He then took two of the tablets from the packet and slipped them into his mouth, washing them down with water. He felt the drowsiness hit him almost immediately, damn those things were strong. He walked to his bedroom, fell onto his bed, still fully clothed and let oblivion claim him.

Rachel woke up much later in the day; so late in fact it was dark outside the apartment. She woke up and felt her head pounding. "Oh god…" she groaned, rubbing her eyes, inadvertently smearing mascara across her face, "Oohh…" she moaned again, sitting up and pulling the blanket off of her. She stood up then toppled to one side, holding on to the edge of the couch as she tried to regain her balance. She padded over to the kitchen, grabbing a glass and filling it with water. She sat down on a kitchen stool and putting her head down on the table. She closed her eyes and let the drumming in her head take over her, like a beat in a song. Just then however, she felt a familiar feeling rise in her stomach. She stood up and ran to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her and leant over the toilet seat just in time to see about all of the previous day's drink and food exiting her system. After, she lay against the bath tub. Once, she felt the feeling of sickness eventually leave, she turned on the shower, staying underneath it until the water rubbed her skin raw and red. It was almost like a form of punishment; a way of chastising herself for breaking her promise to herself and her mum. She'd sworn she wouldn't drink over her; she'd promised she was going to be good, to get better, a form of rehab without actually going to rehab.

Already, she could feel the familiar craving. Despite the sickness of a hangover, she wanted more; more alcohol. She'd forgotten how good it tasted, light and cool, how the alcohol flowed through her system faster and faster until eventually she couldn't remember who she even was, let alone what she was drinking. It felt good; like living life with hurt of pain. Immediately on the head of that thought, she thought about drugs. They were even better; valium, ecstasy, maybe even coke. They couldn't be too hard to get hold of in L.A surely? This was drug-central. Asking for drugs in L.A was the equivalent of asking for a magazine in a shop anywhere else; it was the norm. People did drugs all the time here to help them deal with their 'stresses. The likelihood that Zac had any here though was next to zero; he was the clean-cut cookie kid after all.

Still, it was worth a shot. He might have paracetemol or something around here. She got up, still shaky from being sick, and began to search through the cupboards. Nothing, nothing, nothing…bingo. She found a packet hidden away in the depths of a glass cabinet. She didn't care what they were; just knowing they were strong pain killers. In the back part of her mind, the part not taken over by irrational need for illegal substances, she wondered why Zac had these. Never mind. She took four out and swallowed them immediately, not bothering with water. She couldn't feel anything despite the label saying 'Immediate relief'; they probably weren't made for a drug user she noted. She popped another one out before starting to feel the familiar effects of wooziness. She leant back against the wall and closed her eyes. She'd missed this. She'd missed it so much.


	14. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Zac awoke the following day, with an unbelievably bad headache. He rolled over, hit his head on something hard (his phone) and as such, threw it across the room. He put his hand across his eyes to stop the sunlight burning his eyes. Jeez, that was the last time he ever took those pain killers; they'd knocked him out for an entire day, he wasn't even sure why he had them in the apartment. He got up, made his way to the bathroom and took a shower. Whilst he was there, he decided to throw away the pain killers; he didn't want ones that knocked him like that again. He found the packet but found it was empty. He frowned, he'd been sure it had been full when he'd taken them but then again, he'd been tired, he could've been wrong. Nevertheless, he took the empty packet and threw it in the bin. He then carried on to the kitchen, making himself some breakfast. As he did, he noticed Rachel was not in the apartment. Again, this was slightly unusual as she never really went anywhere without him, not knowing L.A very well. He shook his head, trying to shake off the effects of the pills. It wasn't too important, she'd probably spent the night at Soph's; what was important was Vanessa. He had to call her.

Zac abandoned his breakfast and went to retrieve his phone off the floor in his bedroom. When he looked, he saw he had plenty of missed call and texts from Vanessa, reinforcing his idea that this had been one massive mistake. Just as he was about to call her, a voice rang through his head, _"…I've never said anything before cos you were with Vanessa…. But Sophie…and Jack think you two are gonna break up so it can't do any harm in telling you…"_ He paused, did everyone think that? Was he kidding himself that there was anything between him and Van anymore? Maybe he was just too obsessed with the past to move on to the future. His finger lingered over the 'call' button for a moment then moved to the 'back' button. He threw his phone across the room again, not even bothering to look at Vanessa's messages. He had to think about this.

It was the next day. Rachel still hadn't showed up and Zac was starting to worry. His phone rang just as he was thinking about phoning her to see where she was. He looked at the caller I.D – Soph? He picked up.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked, picking at a thread on his jeans.

"Hey Zac babes. How are you? I heard about you and Vanessa. I'm sorry," Sophie's voice came down the line.

"Yeah, thanks. I don't really wanna talk about it. So what's up?"

"Just wondering if you know what happened to Rachel? She didn't turn up yesterday. I was wondering if something's wrong?"

Zac sat up alert, "What? She was supposed to come and see you? I haven't seen her for like two days. I thought she was with you." There was a brief pause as the two realised the implications of this information.

"We have to find her Zac," said Sophie, her fun, casual tone now gone, "She could be anywhere, she doesn't know the city."

"Yeah, meet me at the apartment as soon as you can and we'll go look for her," Zac said, standing up.

"Ok, sure, I'll get a few of the others to come too. See you soon." Sophie hung up.

As soon as she did, Zac ran to his room and grabbed his jacket. He flung it on and hurriedly wrote a note to Rachel, just in case she came home whilst he was out looking for her. A few minutes later, Sophie and his best friends Connor and Taylor were at the door. Sophie was all business, "I've got my car so two of us can go in each. Taylor, come with me and we'll cover the upper part of the city. Connor, you go with Zac cover the lower part. Any ideas where she could be, like places we should check?" Sophie looked around at the three of them.

"Maybe hotels, motels, that kind of thing. She doesn't know anyone else here so she can't be staying anywhere. I've checked with my parents and Dyl and she's not turned up there so we can count Arroyo out," Zac replied, "Keep your phones on,"

The four headed out to the two cars and for once, Zac was thankful, there were no paparazzi. Once the news hit that he and Vanessa had broken up, they'd be all over him like flies. He and Connor got into the car, "So where first?" asked Connor.

Zac reversed out of the parking lot of his building, "I don't know. Let's just try every hotel and such. If you see one, say and we'll stop and look. You know what she looks like right?" asked Zac, looking at Connor. He nodded. "Right let's go."

Four hours later and the pair didn't seem to be getting anywhere. "Zac, man, we've been looking all day. You need to rest," said Connor, putting a hand on his friends shoulder.

Zac stood up, pushing the table away from him as he did so, "I can't! She's disappeared! Connor, I was supposed to look after her! What the fuck am I going to say to my parents? Oh by the way, I lost her? Shit,"

"Calm down Zac. Look we've got one more place over the road to look at then we can look at where we're at and see what we need to do, maybe involve the police or something," Connor said, finishing off his drink. Zac looked at him. He hadn't thought about that; the police. She was missing; technically, she had been gone almost three days. He didn't want it to come to that but that may be the only solution left.

"Ok, let's go."

The two walked over to the motel across the road. It wasn't exactly one of the classiest places in town but he knew worse. They walked into the lobby and approached the receptionist. "Can I help you gentlemen?" The receptionist had bleach-blonde hair, long blue and purple painted fingernails with jewels on, far too much make up and obviously false boobs that were straining against her too-tight top. Wannabe actress; figured, Zac thought.

"Yeah, hi, I'm looking for a girl, she's average height, long black hair, thin," he paused. That wasn't the greatest description in L.A, _everyone_ was thin. "Um, oh yeah, she's English!" he said. How could he forget the most crucial part? There weren't too many English people in Los Angeles. "Her name's Rachel. Rachel Turner."

"Oh her," the receptionists southern drawl becoming clearer, "Yeah she's in room…" she consulted her computer, "Room 204. Have a nice day gentlemen."

"Thanks," Connor replied as Zac had already run off towards the stairs. He took them two at a time, reaching the second floor in record time. He practically ran down the corridor until he found the room: 204. He knocked on the door a couple of times; there was no answer. He knocked again, more rapidly this time. Zac turned to look at his friend, thoughts running through his mind.

"You're gonna have to," Connor spoke, reading his mind.

Zac looked up and down the corridor to make sure no-one was looking then tugged on the doorknob. It proved to be more resistant than it looked. He pushed against it again, this time increasing the pressure and he felt the lock break. He flung the door open and was greeted by an empty room. The bed was still made, there were glasses, bottles, bags of various things he didn't even want to think about lying around the place but it was otherwise immaculate.

"Zac?" Connors voice came from the bathroom. He followed his friends voice and in doing so, found Rachel. She was lying on the floor of the bathroom, unconscious. Zac ran and grabbed one of the bags from the table beside the bed. There were pills. He grabbed another one; powder. Another one; more pills. Shit. He dropped the last one on the bed and ran back to Rachel. At least he knew what she'd done.

"Connor, you need to ring an ambulance now," Zac said, bending down to kneel beside the unconscious girl on the floor. He didn't want to touch her in case anything happened. He moved some of her hair out of her face. She was so pale and there shadows under her eyes.

"I'm going to go downstairs and wait for them," Connor said quietly. Zac just nodded, still looking at Rachel. He heard Connor close the door behind him as he stroked Rachel's hair. Suddenly, her eyes were flung open but he knew she wasn't seeing him. Her body began to convulse as she started to have a fit. Her body was flung upwards. Zac caught her in his arms, "Rachel! Rachel! Can you hear me?" He stroked the hair away from her face, "Rachel! Listen to me!" Her eyes opened wider as she started to realise she wasn't alone and who was with her.

Her mouth tried to form a name but no words would come out so she did the only thing she could to let whoever it was with her know the pain she was in; she screamed. And with this scream found new strength. She stood up pushing the person away from her. She ran into the bedroom, throwing the bed covers aside and ripping up pillows. Zac ran after her, "Rachel!" he shouted, "Rachel stop!" He grabbed her arms to stop her ripping up the room. She turned around and fought back at him but quickly lost her strength as the drugs took more of a hold. She went limp in his arms, collapsing to the floor. He sat with her in his arms as the paramedics rushed into the room. They took control of things whilst one led Zac outside into the corridor to wait. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He slid down the wall and sat on the floor. Connor found him and sat down too. All they could was wait.


	15. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

_Flashback_

_One year ago – week eight of Michealmas Term._

_Rachel groaned in pleasure. "__Tooooom__, I really have to pack. I'm going home tomorrow," she pleaded. He continued to kiss her neck, moving slowly down towards her breasts, cupping one in his hand and kissing the other one._

_"Really?" he mumbled, "So you want me to stop?" He moved his hand lower, finding where she was hot and wet. He slipped a finger inside her, then another, rubbing her gently._

_She gave in and wrapped her arms around his neck, "I suppose I can pack tomorrow…" she said as she let the feelings of arousal envelop her. _

_Week one of the Christmas Vacation_

_"How did you fail?" her mother asked for the third time. "I thought you said you were doing alright? How can you possibly be failing? Do you know how much a year I'm paying for you to mess up?" __she__ exclaimed, her hands on her hips._

_"Yes, I do actually, as you continually keep reminding me. I don't know how. It happens. I'll work harder next term," Rachel said, sighing. _

_"Yes you fucking well better. Do you have any idea how many people would kill to be in your position? How many people want to be in the most prestigious university in the country, studying under some of the greatest academics?" Her mother was in full rant mode; it was best to just let her run her course. She'd heard this lecture before; she'd had the same one when she attending high school and sixth form._

_"Yeah, I get it mum ok. You don't have to keep banging on about it. I'm grateful obviously--" Rachel said, starting to stand up._

_"You're not going anywhere. I'm not done," her mother said._

_"Actually I think you are," Rachel replied, looking her mother in the eye, "I'm ready to fucking go and I don't want to sit here and listen to you tell me about my collective failures as not only a daughter but a human being so fuck off mum; I'm going," and she left the room._

_"You ungrateful little bitch…" But her __mothers__ voice was lost as Rachel stormed up the stairs to her room. She flung the door open and then slammed it shut. She fell onto her bed, anger seething through her. She had never seen eye to eye with her mother, even when she was longer. Her mother blamed Rachel for her father leaving and Rachel blamed her for expecting too much as a result of this. Not that Rachel had lived in poverty; quite the opposite. Her mum __had made a lot of money becoming a solicitor in real estate. She'd gone to one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the country and consequently had been offered a place at one of the most prestigious universities. However, she'd always felt pressured by her mother; do this, do that, be the perfect daughter because they obviously weren't the perfect family._

_Rachel walked over to her chest of draws and pulled out a little bag of pills. It wasn't really something she'd ever done before; pills but Tom had offered her one when she'd had to finish an essay one night and the buzz it had given her was electric. Then she frequently took them when she went on nights out with her friends, to get that little extra kick. And now…now she was using them to help her through tough times. She wasn't addicted or anything; they helped. They took away the pain. She slipped one into her mouth, lay back on the bed and slipped into a sleep full of eccentric dreams. _

_Week One – Lent __Term_

_"Hey baby," came Tom's familiar voice as he leant against the doorway, "Ho was your holiday?" He walked over and settled himself on Rachel's bed._

_"It was good," she turned round in her chair from doing her make-up, "How was yours?"_

_"Oh, the usual.__ France, skiing, family, you know, all pretty mundane," he stood up and walked over to where she was sat, "You miss me?" he smiled cheekily, knowing her answer. He had this girl completely under his thumb. He liked her, no doubt, but he liked the feeling of power, he didn't want a girl to be too much in charge, that sort of thing had to be gotten rid of. _

_She stood up, wrapping her arms around his waist, "Of course." They kissed for quite a while, allowing it to develop in passion. They were both lying on the bed when Tom whispered, "Are you coming out tonight with us? I'm going to get some more pills if you want any?"_

_Buying them from a dealer? She didn't think she'd ever get involved in anything like that but she needed some more; she'd practically used up all hers over the holiday; her mother did that to her. "Yeah," she smiled, "Yeah I do."_

_Week Five – Lent __Term_

_Rachel lay on her bed, eyes closed. Her whole body was shaking; it was the come down from the drugs. She'd taken too much last night; she couldn't even remember where she'd been or who she'd been out with. This was getting too much; she had to stop. She'd talk to Tom later on today; she just didn't want to wreck their relationship._

_When Tom came to see her, she told him about not carrying on with the drugs. "It's too much Tom. I can't do it. I don't want to wreck things here. This is what I've worked for my entire life. This is what I want,"_

_"Really?__ Or is this what your mother wants?" asked Tom, the usual cheeky manner gone, "Rachel, I'm not pushing you but you're just not used to it at the moment. You take the pills when you need them for essays or nights and stuff, not all the time. I take them and I'm in second year. You can do this," he stepped towards her._

_"Tom, I don't think I can, I'm just not ha--__" Rachel__ was cut off as she tried to step away from him. Tom grabbed her by the wrist, applying pressure._

_"I told you; you can do this," he said slowly through clenched teeth, the familiar sparkle in his eyes gone. She looked up and __realised__ he was high. Was he always like this or was she just noticing it now? She tried to move out of his grip but he held her harder._

_"Tom…let me go," she struggled against him, finally freeing __herself__, and moving faster towards the door. He grabbed her again this time using both hands to hold her wrists. She struggled harder this time, panic starting to rise inside her; this wasn't normal. She pushed herself away in desperation only to feel the back of Tom's hand hit her hard across the face causing her to fall onto the floor. She __lay__ there, tears forming in her eyes. Tom merely looked at her then stepped over her saying, "I told you."_


	16. Reviews

**AUTHORS NOTE:**

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates over Christmas but I was working A LOT and forgot to save the chapters I'd written onto my pen drive before I went home for the holidays! Duh!

Reviews are always, always appreciated so please do! It only takes a couple of seconds to say something. It helps me to know that what I'm writing is at least halfway decent and that people are reading.

Thanks again

x x x


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